In the Winter Olympics of 1994 the Jamaican bobsled team quickly learned that it would take more than prayer and fashionable uniforms to keep two runners on the track, let alone compete with their nordic counterparts, who had the distinct advantage of living and training in the desirable climate.
However, over the past ten days, with their impressive performances at the Ivies, the New Englands, and the Harvard-Brown match, the Dartmouth Men's Golf team has proven that while adequate training facilities help, they are not necessary for success.
As the proud possessor of the longest winter of any Ivy-League school, Dartmouth often struggles with spring sport conditions. Though many teams seek refuge in warm climates over March break, they often return to snow-covered or waterlogged fields. The golf team is no exception, seeing that the Hanover Country Club can only hope for dry weather in anticipation of its May 3 opening.
Yet the remnants of winter have not impeded the team's spring performance. Before the Ivies two weekends ago, the team hit balls on the practice field while actually playing the Beth Page Black Course (Long Island, NY) in their heads - a feat made possible by the team's wealth of experience.
"We've got experience on our side this year," said Assistant Coach Jamie Green. "We have an excellent balance of upper and lower classmen (Seniors Co-Captain Steve Sugarman, Jay Lavender; Juniors Co-Captain Mackenzie Hurd, Jay Danzi; Sophomore John Heaton and Freshman Chris Welty). With experience, there is improvement every week."
At Beth Page, site of the 2002 US Open, it was Dartmouth's least experienced player, Welty, who would steal the show -- shooting a strong 74-79, which earned him All-Ivy Honors. Of Welty, Lavender said, "he's just so strong through the ball you're shocked if you ever see him outside of the 70s." Welty attributed both his personal success and that of the team to Green and Coach Bill Johnson, who stressed the proper mental approach to the game.
Due to their superb second day of play, everyone shooting in the 70s, the team placed fourth out of a field of eight, with a combined total of 304. Sugarman was pleased with his team's performance, noting "these were the lowest scores we've posted at this tournament in quite some time."
One other item of note was Lavender's praiseworthy comeback from his first day round of 92. Knowing that a poor second round would probably be the last of his Dartmouth career, Lavender resolved to take a more relaxed approach to his game and "knock twenty strokes" off his score the next day. Later, Lavender referred to his Sunday round of 74 as the "most rewarding round I've played at Dartmouth. I just tried to stay focused and have fun."
The team then traveled to the Portland Country Club (Maine) this past Wednesday and Thursday to compete in the New Englands. Strong squads from the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island left the rest of the field behind. Dartmouth placed fifth out of the sixteen teams present, just two stokes behind the University of Central Connecticut and one stroke behind Hartford.
Dartmouth posted the third best score on Thursday (306) thanks to Danzi who while physically ill on Wednesday (84) came back to post a team-low 74. Other Ivy competitors who found themselves below Dartmouth on the leaderboard included Brown and Harvard. This fact would only be a foreshadow of things to come this past weekend.
Saturday, the 6,400 yard Duxbury Yacht Club (Mass.) hosted a three-way nassau (a tournament in which a player receives one point for winning the front, one for the back and one for overall) between Dartmouth, Brown and Harvard. Brown fell to Dartmouth by a collective score of 6-9, with the top five Golfers in Green averaging only three strokes over par.
Dartmouth played ten (the top five, Dave Kantrovitz '97, Carlos Gonzalez '99, John Heaton '99, Nick Werner '00, Andy Rymer '00) golfers against Harvard - outscoring the Crimson 19 1/2 to 10 1/2. Hurd, Danzi, Gonzalez and Welty took all three points in their matches.
"For many of us it was the first competitive round of the season," Gonzalez noted. "But judging from the results, I think we all played well." Both captains agreed the scores could have been even better, if not for the lack of desirable practice conditions.
"We're close to excellent," Johnson said. "We just need more time to play. This is one of the latest spring starts we've ever had." Johnson looks forward to this weekend's final tournament of the spring, the Army Invitational, "with the knowledge that we're getting better with every round we play."
Seniors Sugarman and Lavender approach this weekend with the knowledge that it brings their competitive Dartmouth careers to an end. Sugarman, who has co-captained the team over the past two years, has played in every tournament since his freshman spring. Lavender admitted with a hint of nostalgia, "Playing golf here has defined our time at Dartmouth." Regardless of their scores this weekend, both will leave the Big Green with feats to be admired and memories to be cherished.
